Route 66 is a musical revue written by Roger Bean, creator of the Off-Broadway hit, The Marvelous Wonderettes. It is licensed by Steele Spring Productions. The show features 34 huge pop and country hits and takes us on a journey which begins in Chicago and travels along the famed ‘Main Street of America’ to the coast of California. A large car radio delivers the audience to each new destination along the journey. DJs and actual vintage radio ads build excitement along the way!
Contents |
At the top of the show, a radio DJ welcomes the audience to Chicago, and four service station attendants burst into The Texaco Star Theme. Each actor introduces himself to the audience in this string of hits: Let's Go For A Ride; Bring My Cadillac Back; Hot Rod Queen; Every Woman I Know. The station bells ring, and it's time to head out onto the open road with Route 66.
In St. Louis, Missouri two men sing about The Mother Road; two others remember good times in their hometown in Used to Be; and a trucker has more than the road on his mind in the hilarious audience-pleaser Girl on the Billboard. Joplin brings us another trucker with Six Days on The Road and a pair of sportsters unable to keep up with an old geezer in BEEP BEEP. On our way to Oklahoma City we meet a bus driver picking up travelers on his way to T-U-L-S-A Straight Ahead; a trucker with a unique outlook on life (Roalaids, Doan's Pills & Preparation 'H'); and a lonesome cowboy singing about those Oklahoma Hills.
Amarillo, Texas brings us a law-man a little too big for his own britches in Long Tall Texan; an humorous look at a lovely Truck Stop Cutie; and the exciting Act One Finale – clogging and spooning to the audience favorite Truck Drivin' Man.
The second act begins with Willie Nelson's On The Road Again, followed by a quick Gallop to Gallup with a load of unruly cows. Winona finds us in the middle of nowhere with the haunting The Long Red Line. In Flagstaff, Arizona we see our roadsters once again as they try to outdrive a Diesel On My Tail. In Kingman, Arizona two stoned hippies explain their philosophy on drug-running (Don't Haul Bricks on 66), only to be caught shortly thereafter in Barstow, California by the Highway Patrol. San Bernardino, California brings us a wonderful a capella rendition of Roger Miller's King of The Road in which the audience is encouraged to sing along.
The California sound of the 60s bursts upon us as we reach the outskirts of Los Angeles in The Little Old Lady From Pasadena and Dead Man's Curve. In our final race toward the coast, we meet our crew at the Santa Monica, California Speedway in a medley of racing hits:SS 396; Move Out Little Mustang; Hey Little Cobra; GTO. The Finale brings it all full circle with a wonderful new rendition of Route 66.
But the evening's not complete without the exciting and energetic Encore that brings audiences to their feet: Fun, Fun, Fun/I Get Around.